Tough
by DiaryOfLacey
Summary: Taylor's always been tough. After losing her family in the outbreak, she was brought into the band of survivors, and they became her family. Now that her best friend's been captured, can she save him? And will she finally admit how she feels? DarylxOC


**Disclaimer:**** I do not own anything from The Walking Dead. I only own Taylor Dawson. **

**Warning:**** Strong language**

**uAuthor's Notes/u:**** Taylor's always been tough. After losing her family in the outbreak, she was brought into the band of survivors, and they became her family. Now that her best friend's been captured, can she save him? And will she finally admit how she feels? DarylxOC**

iI'm so tired of pretending I don't love you anymore. - Travis Tritt/i

The impatience was tearing at her nerves, waiting was not one of Taylor's specialties. Especially not when it involved the person closest to her returning from a dangerous trip safely. Fed up with doing nothing, she had settled for pacing the kitchen of the prison, anxiously biting her nails until they started to bleed. She was making her tenth lap when she looked up at the dirty windows and saw the sun beginning to peek out. Her stomach clinched painfully. She was sure that they would have been back before daybreak. But a year of being by Daryl's side, learning from him about more than just hunting and fighting, had taught her to mask her emotions well, and she shoved the fear boiling in her stomach down fiercely. She would inot/i show that she was scared. She couldn't say she didn't care about the others coming home, but the only one that really mattered to her was Daryl. She knew he was strong, that he would come home safe. "Be careful." Those two words had made her immediately expect something bad. It was their "I love you." They were both uncomfortable with saying the L-word. Daryl had never said it to anyone before, Taylor had never spoken the words again since all this shit began. "Be careful", it was their way of letting the other know how they felt. There was so much to that simple statement. Be careful because I love you and I want to see you here when I get back. Be careful because if something happens to you, I'd never forgive myself. Be careful because we have to keep going, even in this fucked up world. Be careful because I can't live without you.

Those words bounced around frantically in her mind. Those were the last words he had muttered to her right before they had left to go get Glen and Maggie out of Woodbury. It had never even occurred to her to tell him to do the same. He was Daryl, he was invincible. He was a Dixon. The only thing that could kill a Dixon was a Dixon. He'd told her that so many times that she could hear his voice in her head as the words entered her thoughts. Rather than calming her down, they only made her stomach flip again. This wasn't just a hunting trip or a supply run. They were actually going on a mission. A dangerous one that held more dangerous foes than mere walkers. Walkers couldn't shoot. She again began pacing the floor, her fingers twisting in the tail of her shirt, the plaid shirt that Daryl had wrapped around her last night when she was cold. The one that smelled so much like him it made her want to cry.

She wasn't aware of how long she stood in the darkness twisting the soft material around her fingers, but the sound of tires on gravel and the groan of the gate being opened snapped her out of her trance. She resisted the urge to run down the hallway, instead slowly and casually ambling down the corridor, realizing halfway there that she was walking the same way Daryl did. He'd be laughing his ass off at her if he saw the soft smile that crossed her face. As she entered the cell block, they were filing into the room slowly. Glenn was leaning heavily into Rick, his face swollen and bloody, his chest bare. Maggie was helping a limping Michonne. All of their faces were grim and she couldn't help but notice that none of them, not even the new woman, would look at her. A heavy weight settled on her chest as she struggled to keep the calm mask on her face. As everyone began to talk amonst themselves and discuss things that had happened on both sides while they were gone, she kept glancing at the doorway, expecting him to come through. But there was no Daryl ambling through the door, no raspy laugh as he made a joke about somebody, no nothing. Her eyes flicked over to Rick, watching him intently for some clue as to where her best friend was. Hershel and Beth led Glenn, Maggie and Michonne out of the room, leaving Carl, Rick, and Taylor.

"We're gonna need all the manpower we can get, Carl. If you think they're good people, go fill them in. This is gonna require more than just us." Rick said to Carl. As Carl hurried out of the room, Rick finally turned to Taylor, his eyes taking in the way she was leaning against the wall, her arms crossed and her eyes icy. He had to swallow a laugh at just how much she resembled Daryl standing there. If the redneck had been a woman, Rick was sure he would be acting the same way Taylor was. Then his expression changed to one of seriousness, his eyes searching Taylor's for any sign of softness, any sign that she would keep her temper under control when he told her the news. She broke the silence first, a single muscle twitching slightly as she straightened up from off the wall. "Where is he?" Taylor's voice was icy, her face stoic, none of her inner fear revealed. She had been trained well.

"I'm sorry, Taylor." Ricks voice was barely a whisper, but the words screamed against her eardrums and slammed into her brain like they were being blasted through high quality speakers. As her heart pounded and her stomach turned, she forced her expression to remain blank as a stone. The urge to puke her guts out was getting stronger by the minute. iDon't let him say dead. Don't let him say dead./i The words kept repeating over and over in her head. If Rick told her something had happened to Daryl, she'd probably be hurling herself off the top of this prison in the next two minutes. "What happened, Rick? Why didn't he come back with you? Why are you sorry?" She found herself unable to even say his name. If she said it out loud, she'd probably throw up all over Rick. The former sheriff dropped his head and refused to meet her eyes.

"Is he dead?" It felt like a hand had wrapped around her heart and squeezed. Her chest ached and her mouth went dry. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth as she realized she was biting on her tongue. Her fingers dug into the backs of her arms, the brunette keeping her arms crossed to keep from giving away her terror. No, she couldn't lose him too. First her mom, then her sister, then her brother. She'd had to put the arrows through their heads herself. Things like that could harden a woman, and they had. But if Rick told her she had just lost Daryl too, she was pretty sure she'd be putting an arrow through her own eye tonight. She couldn't lose anyone else close to her.

"We don't know that. Not for sure." He stepped toward her, trying to reason with her. The girl immediately tensed, her arms uncrossing as she squared her shoulders. If he aimed to touch her, she'd tear his arms off and beat him to death with them. He iknew/i what she had been through. The only person that touched her was Daryl. Rick saw her tense up, and he backed up a step. She still failed to relax, like a pitbull in attack mode. Her voice was cold as ice when she spoke. "What do you mean, we don't know that? Either he's dead or he ain't. Which is it, Rick?" The words sounded so familiar, Rick thought. And then he remembered. When they had come back from Atlanta, when Glenn had rescused him, and they had had to tell Daryl that Merle had been left handcuffed to a rooftop. i"Either he's dead or he ain't, which is it?!"/i The look of rage Daryl had worn was mirrored in Taylor's eyes, but her expression remained blank. But she didn't need him to answer the question, she had learned to read people well enough since this apocalypse had happened that she could tell without him saying a word. They had left him, they had left the one person who meant anything to her in a place where they knew he would be in danger. She couldn't be angry at Glenn or Maggie, they were both lucky to be alive themselves, but Rick? She clenched her fists in anger. He could sense her anger, rubbing his scruffy face with one hand before meeting her eyes again, although reluctantly. "You don't understand, Taylor. We found Glenn and Maggie, and as we were trying to get out, everything went to shit. Right when we were about to make a break for it he just took off. He said he was gonna lay down some cover fire..." His voice trailed off as he stared at her. "But I don't think that was his plan. I think once he was sure we were gonna make it out of there alive he went after Merle. We waited for hours once we got out. He never came."

"Merle? His brother Merle? You've gotta be kidding me, Grimes." Taylor's stomach flipped a few more times, as if it was purposely trying to make her puke. She didn't want Merle around Daryl. She knew what he became around his older brother. Merle was an asshole, plain and simple, and for some godforsaken reason, it rubbed off on Daryl when they spent any amount of time together. And she knew what Merle would have to say about her, he'd said the same things before when he'd been around her. Would her best friend abandon her for his real family? Rick nodded, bringing her back to reality. "Merle caught Maggie and Glenn, beat the hell out of them as payback for Atlanta, or so he said. Once Daryl found out that Merle was alive I should have known he would go after him. But what could I do?" "What about Oscar?" Axel asked from behind Taylor. She hadn't even realized that Oscar hadn't come in with the others. Rick sat heavily in one of the chairs they had scavenged up from the prison. "He didn't make it, Axel. He went down as we were going over the wall. Maggie put him down so he wouldn't turn." Axel simply nodded and left the room. "So, we need to go back out there. Tonight. We have to go get him. We can't leave him there to be killed by those psychos in that town." Taylor finally spoke again as she felt some of the pressure leave her chest, but her stomach continued to flip. She took a deep breath to keep from throwing up. It was a bad habit, she had always been one to puke when she got extremely nervous or upset.

"We will. But not tonight. Glenn and Michonne are both injured. We're all exhausted and there has to be someone here to protect the prison. You don't understand the firepower these men have, Taylor. It's only gonna be a matter of time before they regroup and come here to kill us all. I need to talk to this new group and feel them out. We can make a trade. They can help us get Daryl back and we can let them stay here. Carl tells me they're good folks, so I'm going to talk to them and see if they'll help us." That did not sit well with the brunette in front of him. She quickly tensed again, and Rick noticed the woman was constantly on edge when not in the company of her best friend. He made a mental note to try and find out her story from Maggie or Glenn. "So we leave him there while you rest up?" Taylor snapped. She crossed the few feet that was separating them, Rick standing up from the chair. She was so close that she had to look up to make eye contact, but he could clearly see the fire burning in her eyes.. "This is Daryl we're talkin' about, Rick! Daryl, the man who's saved our asses more time than we can fuckin' count! How many people have we lost since the quarry? There's six of us left! Me, you, Carl, Carol, Glenn and Daryl. I've lost enough people since this started, I can't lose Daryl too, Rick! And besides, he's been the only father Carl and Judith have had since you decided to take a one way fucking trip on the crazy train!" By now she was shouting, her voice echoing off the high ceiling of the prison. "Don't you think I already know what I owe him, bitch?!" Rick roared as he grabbed her by the shoulders. Taylor didn't even think about what she was about to do. For a second her mind flashed back to last winter in the woods, when it was just her and Daryl coming back to their camp after trying to hunt for food.

i"You're a tough bitch, Dawson. You know that, right?" Daryl had asked. She had given him a sideways glance as they trudged through the cold silent woods. "I've learned from the best, Dixon. I didn't become a callous, cursing, abrasive redneck by myself, now did I?" He stopped walking, turning to look at her with his hands on his hips. She put her hands on her own hips and unconsciously mirrored his stance, narrowed eyes and all. She spent most of every day with him as they hunted, two crossbow-wielding loners banding together to feed themselves, and spent every night squished together with him in a one person sleeping bag as they shared body heat to keep from freezing. The others had mentioned how, day by day, they had become more and more alike. The way they walked, the way they talked, the faces they made. She even found herself smelling like him most of the time since they shared the small sleeping space. Of course Taylor was usually the more pleasant of the two. Just because she spent all her time with him didn't mean it made her completely turn into a brooding cursing bad tempered Dixon. She became more of a cursing, easily annoyed Dawson. "You're also a smart mouth bitch." Taylor smirked. "Be careful, Dixon, I'm armed and dangerous." She shrugged one shoulder, her crossbow tilting towards him. "Armed and dangerous? The day I get scared of you is the day I'll give up being a man." They both laughed, walking on a little farther before she looked over at him. "Daryl, you know what happened between me and Shane. What do I do if it happens again?" Her voice cracked upon saying Shane's name, and she saw Daryl tense. He'd tried to kill Shane a few times for what he'd done to her. He looked over at her. "You fight back, T. You fight back."

"You fight back."/i His voice once again whispered in her mind. Rick hadn't loosened his grip on her. She lashed out then, her fist connecting with his mouth. He dropped his hold on her and took a few steps back, wiping blood from his lips with the back of his hand. "You do what you need to do, Rick. I'll go get Daryl myself tonight." "You're not going, Taylor!" His voice boomed as she turned to walk away. She stopped and faced him once more. "What are you gonna do, Rick? Treat me like your kid and lock me in a closet, lock me up like Carol was? I'm a grown woman, and unlike Carol, I'll kick your ass real fast and in a hurry. Hanging around Daryl for the past year has taught me more than just how to hunt." There was a warning edge in her voice as she looked at him. "He could be dead right now, Taylor. I'm telling you, if you do this it's suicide." She looked dead at him. "I'd rather get myself killed trying to save him than let him get killed without ever seeing us again." Rick caught her arm, his tired eyes now alert with anger. "Taylor, I won't let you go. Without Daryl here, you're the next best hunter we've got." Taylor jerked her arm away from him. "You're already replacing him. How caring of you, Grimes. You don't even know if he's dead and already you want me to take over his job. Too damn bad. I'm going to Woodbury for Daryl, and I'll get him out by my own damn self." Without looking back, she turned on her heel, her boots clunking on the hard floor as she headed towards the cell she shared with Maggie.

She was focused as she got to the cell. Going straight to her duffel bag first, she pulled out a rolled up piece of cloth, unrolling it on her bed. Six knives stared back at her, and she selected the biggest three. Making sure her knife sheaths were secure in her boots, she slid a knife into each one, then pulled her hunting knife out of the pack. Just holding it in her hand made all her memories of being in the woods with Daryl come rushing back and she felt hot tears fill her eyes. When one ran down her cheek, she quickly snapped her head up and returned to her task. He needed her and she had to keep herself from falling apart. She angrily wiped away the tears that were, to her, a sign of weakness. There was no time for grief. There was nothing to grieve over. She would get him out and everything would be fine. She told herself that over and over as she slid the knife into the sheath on her belt, tossing the roll back into her bag and then pulling out her handgun, loading it quickly and tucking it into the back of her jeans. Now that her basic arsenal was taken care of, she picked her crossbow and her arrows up off the floor, making sure that was ready before she turned to her bag again for some clothes. She heard her cell door creep open but she refused to turn to see who was there. She was done arguing and she figured it was Rick or at the very least Axel.

"Can we come in?" A husky female voice asked from the open cell door. Taylor looked up at the unfamiliar voice and found Michonne standing there with Maggie standing behind her. She raised an eyebrow at the two women and continued on with her rummaging. "If the two of you came to try to talk me out of this then you're wasting your breath and my time." She sounded harsher than she had meant to be. Maggie walked over to where she was and stood beside her, one hand placed comfortingly on Taylor's shoulder. "We ain't here to talk you out of anythin'." She said softly in that sweet southern drawl that always made her seem younger than she really was. "God knows if it was Glenn out there, I'd be doin the same thing right now." "Me and Daryl ain't nothin like you and Glenn, Maggie. We're a different kind." Taylor said as she continued her rummaging, again sounding harsher than she meant. Maggie took Taylor's hands in her own, forcing her to stop digging in her bag. "No, you ain't. You're two people that love each other, whether you admit it or not. You'd both sacrifice yourself to save the other's life. You need one another the way Glenn and I do. Am I wrong?" Taylor knew Maggie was right, but she tried to keep up the cold exterior she had adapted to. "That's how we all are, Maggie. You know that." Her voice was harsh, but Maggie saw the sadness in her eyes and immediately knew she was right. "You're right. There ain't a person here that I wouldn't fight to the death for. But I'll always fight a little harder for Glenn. That's what you do when you're in love. You and Daryl are the only two people here that's just too damn stubborn to see that it's the same for the both of ya."

Taylor gaped at the girl for a second before she felt her features pull down in a scowl, then, in true Dixon form, shook her head and scoffed. "Every person in the world don't get their happy ever after, and everybody don't have a perfect love story, Maggie. But you were right about one thing, I'm gonna fight a whole hell of a lot harder because it's Daryl. He's the only person I've been close to since my family got killed. We've been through a lot together and I know he'd do the same for me if I was the one captured by that Governer fucker. Rick ain't gonna do a damn thing, so it's up to me." "Look," Michonne interrupted before Maggie could say anything in Rick's defense, "You can't just walk in, armed and ready, and think you're gonna get in or out alive. Either they'll shoot you down, or they'll capture you too. Either way you won't be any good to that redneck man of yours." Taylor was about to argue but Michonne put up a hand to stop her. "You need a plan." "Well I never would've thought of that! You two have saved the damn day." Taylor muttered, her voice dripping sarcasm. Michonne ignored her. "The Governor has probably already had this place scouted. We saw them leave last night while we were waiting on your man to come out." "Is it really necessary for you to call him that?!" Michonne ignored her, "Were you outside at all last night?" Taylor nodded, her face grim. "I took watch and then spent the night in the guard tower. Why? If someone saw me, it don't matter. I don't plan on walking up to the gate, introducing myself and marching right in." "That was my original plan. Or it was before I knew you were out last night. It would be impossible to sneak in again, not after we went in there. But if you were just one unarmed woman running for your life, well, the Governor would probably welcome you in with open arms. He's all about image. I don't think he would turn you away. It would make him look bad." Maggie grinned at Michonne. "Now that's a good plan. Seems to be the safest way since no one's gonna talk you out of going."

"But that plan's not gonna work. If anyone saw me then they'll sound the alarm as soon as I get there. Then I'm dead for sure and so is Daryl." Taylor ran a hand through her brown hair and groaned, sitting on the floor and putting her head in her hands. "It looks like I'm finally going to use all that stuff Daryl taught me. Pretty ironic I'm using it to save him." Maggie ignored her, digging through Taylor's bag herself. "There has to be some way to make this work. Somehow you have to get him out of there without getting yourself killed." "Sorry, Maggie, but if they've seen me, there's no way it's possible. I'll sneak in, use my redneck ninja skills. If I have to kill a few bitches, I'll do it." Maggie was about to say something when her hand brushed against something. She looked into the bag and pulled out a box. She stared at it for a few seconds and then she gave Michonne a wide eyed grin, tossing her the box. She looked at the box and then to Taylor and back again, her eyes bright with excitement. "Taylor, did you throw Lori's stuff in here with yours when we cleaned out her bag?" The brunette nodded. "Yeah, there was no need to throw away perfectly good stuff. Most of it's in there, and some of Andrea's stuff Lori had in her bag. Why?" Maggie pulled out a box, opening it to show them a pair of scissors, hair cutting scissors. "Why would you bring scissors to cut your hair with in a zombie apocalypse?" Michonne's question revealed her confusion. "You'd just have to have known Lori to understand." Maggie said to Michonne with a slight shake of her head. "Leave it to Lori to worry about split ends even after the world has ended." Looking over at Taylor, Maggie noticed she looked pale. "Taylor, are you alright?" The brunette looked between Maggie and the scissors. "Don't tell me you're thinkin' of cuttin' my hair, Maggie. It's been this long since I was sixteen." Michonne and Maggie shared a look. "If we change up your look, cut your hair, change your clothes, maybe you can get in without them figuring out who you really are."

Maggie grabbed Taylor's hands and pulled her up from the floor. She tugged on the hem of Taylor's dingy sleeveless shirt (one she had stolen from Daryl) and then eyed her ripped, faded jeans. "Is this what you wore when you were out?" She asked as she made a face at Taylor's clothes. "Come on you two! Can we not worry about me looking like a fashion model and actually come up with something that'll save Daryl? This really ain't the time for you to get on my case about my clothes, these are the best things to wear for hunting." Michonne stared at her with narrowed eyes. "If playing dress up with us can save your man then you need to consider it. Hunting is different from saving his life." Taylor groaned. "Stop calling him that." She muttered, more to herself than to Michonne. Maggie looked at her, seeing in her eyes that she was giving up the fight. "Come on, I'm gonna need all the help I can get. I've never been good at bein' girly." Maggie and Michonne followed her to the showers, ready to get started. Thirty minutes later, Taylor found herself standing in front of one of the dirty shower room mirrors staring at herself critically as Michonne stood behind her, leaning against the wall on her elbows as she carefully drew Taylor a map of Woodbury. "Maggie is gonna make me look like a high price hooker before she's done." Michonne chuckled, the first time Taylor had heard her do so. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. You never know, your man might like the way you look now." Taylor turned from the mirror, her eyes dark. "Stop calling him that!" Michonne rolled her eyes. "Relax! Besides, if any scouts saw you out there, they probably won't think you're the same person when you get to Woodbury. Especially after Maggie gets you dressed." She smiled, another first for her.

Maggie came in just then, looking breathless. She threw a pile of clothes on the counter. "Okay, let's see what we can find." She turned and stared at Taylor. "Oh my God. That looks so good!" She gushed. "I love it. You look like a James Bond girl." Taylor raised an eyebrow. "You watched James Bond before this?" Maggie nodded. "You really do look good, Taylor. Like a girl that can kick serious ass." "I can kick serious ass." Taylor deadpanned. "And you also look hot." Maggie smiled at her friend. "Shut up, Maggie. I've never been hot. Now what the hell is all this?" She gestured toward the pile of clothes and picked out something black and lacy. Her eyebrows shot up. "Really?" She held up the bra with her thumb and forefinger. Maggie shrugged, a smirk crossing her features. "Figured you would want a little padding to get in good with the Governor." "Once again, honey, you figured wrong. I ain't the cleavage type." She let the garment fall back into the pile and picked up a pair of jeans, ignoring Maggie's pout. "Actually, that isn't such a bad idea, Taylor." Michonne said, not looking up from her drawing. "He's a ladies man. The sexier you look when you get in the gate, the better your chances of staying there long enough to get your man out." "I don't plan on runnin' screamin' through the town in my damn underwear." Taylor grumbled. "And I don't plan on datin' the man. I just need to get in there long enough to get Daryl out. That's it." Maggie frowned. "But if it helps. You have to do everything you can to make sure you can get in good with that son of a bitch." Taylor growled. "Where'd you get all this stuff?" She started picking through the clothes once again, raising an eyebrow at Maggie as she waited for an answer. She held up a lowcut black tank top that was at least two sizes too small for her. "I couldn't guess what size you were so I got some of Lori's things and some of mine." Maggie handed her a pair of jeans that looked like they belonged on a hooker, rips at the thighs and knees. "Just put these on." She snatched up the bra Taylor had tossed to the side and the black tank top she had just been looking at. She shoved the clothes into Taylor's arms and gave her a huge smile. "It's for Daryl. Just keep repeatin' that in your head if it helps. He'd do the same for you." Taylor scoffed at Maggie, a tiny smirk crossing her face. "Sorry, Maggie, I can't see Daryl gettin' all dolled to get me out." Maggie laughed. "You know what I mean, Taylor."

"Hold on. I don't think you should go in there completely defenseless either." Michonne sat down the notebook and pulled her bag onto her lap. She pulled two knives out of a side pocket and gazed at them fondly. "Defenseless?" Taylor laughed, pulling up her shirt to show Michonne the knife on her side and the two in her boots. "I'm taken care of." Michonne shook her head. "No way you're getting by them with all that. They make you hand over all of your weapons when you get there. But we'll improvise." The black girl made Taylor hand over her two knives from her boots, then pulled out a roll of masking tape from the side pocket on her bag and began taping off the blades of the knives she had. "These two are smaller than the ones you have, they'll work better for this. This'll keep them from cutting you." "Great," Taylor groaned when Michonne handed her the knives and the tape. "What am I suppose to do with these if they aren't in my sheaths?" They weren't large knives. The blades were no longer than six inches long but she was clueless as to how she'd be carrying them. "The hilts are sort of flat. You tape them to your inner thighs and no one would be able to see them. Your hunting knife, well, you can tape that up and hide it in your bra. With the padding in it, no one will see it. The only thing is that you'll have to leave your crossbow. There's no way we can hide that on you." Michonne nodded, "Go on now, Rambo. Get yourself ready." She went to one of the shower stalls to change. She grumbled to herself the whole time but she was surprised that everything sort of fit. Everything was a lot more clingy than she was used to but it wasn't as bad as she thought. She wasn't expecting to even get the pants buttoned. They must have been Lori's, that whore always had on clothes that were too small for her.. She was also surprised that Michonne was right. She was expecting the knives to be uncomfortable but that wasn't the case. They didn't stick out at all so unless they patted her down, which she hoped they would not, she could sneak them in undetected. The shirt was too tight but it wasn't something she couldn't live with and the stupid bra that Maggie had forced her into made her seem much bigger in that area than she really was, which also made it very easy to conceal her hunting knife. The only difficulty she had was that she felt naked without her crossbow. She lingered in the stall for longer than necessary, dreading Maggie's reaction.

When she finally made her way out, Maggie and Michonne were leaning against the wall looking as though they were deep in conversation. That conversation abruptly stopped when they both glanced up as she came around the corner. "Wow!" Maggie beamed. "You don't even look like the same person! There's no way in hell they'd recognize you." She grabbed Taylors hand and pulled her over to the mirror. "Look, Taylor! You have hips!" She laughed. For the first time, Maggie saw Taylor was a pretty woman, even if she hid it. She was also fit. Hunting, fighting, and hard work had given her defined biceps, and her stomach was flat. Maggie briefly thought to herself that if the world hadn't went belly up, Taylor could have been a model. "Jesus, I look like a hooker." She moaned as she looked at her reflection. "No, you don't." Maggie said as she turned Taylor around by the shoulders to face her. "You look really good. I don't think you've been told that enough, Taylor. Learn how to take a compliment. You can't always just blend into the background. I think you should do this more often. Ya never know who you might get hot on your heels. Maybe a certain crossbow-weilding redneck?" Taylor shook her head with a small smirk. She took a little comfort in the fact that when this was over she could go right back to being wallflower Taylor, the one who was happiest in baggy jeans and one of Daryl's shirts. She didn't want to have to become some cheap looking whore to get what she wanted. That was Andrea's job. Maggie sighed, letting the topic drop. "I talked to Rick." Taylor's defenses instantly went up, like a guard dog in attack mode. "It don't matter either way what Rick's opinion in on the matter. This is happening whether he likes it or not. He isn't my keeper. Not anymore." Maggie held up her hands. "No, he thinks it's a good plan. He's even talking it over with Tyreese and his group to see if they could help. Tyreese looked pretty eager. Beth tells me you and him hit it off from the start. She thinks he has a thing for you." She giggled. "Maggie, you're insane." Taylor grumbled but it did nothing to shut Maggie up. "I bet Daryl'll have a fit if he finds out somebody else has their eye on you. Then maybe you'll see what everybody else does." Taylor ignored, wishing something would distract Maggie. "C'mon, let's go see what they've decided." When they got back to their cell block, Maggie made a beeline for the cell she shared with Glen. Taylor hoped he was okay. He had looked pretty bad when they had came in. The others were gathered around one of the tables. Rick and Tyreese were the only ones talking. Everyone glanced up as Taylor and Michonne approached them and then did a double take. It made Taylor feel like she was in one of those dreams where you found yourself in the middle of class and realize you had forgotten to get dressed. Narrowing her eyes, she squared her shoulders and stormed over to Rick and Tyreese, her cold manner immediately back in place.

Michonne sat the map down in front of Rick. "I marked all the areas that are usually manned but that don't mean a whole lot now. If we killed any of their guards, I'm sure they got more already." Rick tore his gaze from Taylor and looked down at the map in front of him. Taylor leaned in closer so she could peer down over Rick and Tyreese's shoulders, trying to remember as much of the details as she could. Michonne had even marked the buildings that she thought they would use to keep prisoners. Most of those buildings were accessible from the back. Tyreese and Allen had already agreed to go with her all the way to Woodbury but then stay out of sight so they could keep an eye on the backs of the buildings. Once she got Daryl they could leave through one of the back buildings. The entire town was fenced off but that was easy to remedy with bolt cutters. Allen had already ran off to fetch tools and other supplies with Axel. Taylor came around the table to stand in front of them with a frown. "I want to go alone. I don't want to have their blood on my hands if somethin' goes wrong." Tyreese looked at her. "Look, we already went over that. We'll have some prison garb to wear over our clothes. We find a walker or two and then..." His voice trailed off and he grimaced. Rick finished his sentence for him. "They do the same thing Glen and I did that time in Atlanta. The same thing that got Michonne here without her getting attacked." Taylor made a disgusted face. "But I still don't think it's the greatest idea. You two are essentially risking your life for people you don't even know. It doesn't make any sense. And if Rick told you that you have to do it to earn your place here then forget it." Tyreese shook his head and gave her a small smile. "He didn't. I volunteered." She looked at Rick but he only nodded, avoiding her gaze. She picked up the map and was about to go to her cell so she could be alone. She wanted to memorize everything about it, but she paused. "Rick, can I talk to you? Alone?" She was starting to feel bad about what happened earlier. He looked like he was in bad shape. She knew he was exhausted and stressed and still trying hard to get over the loss of Lori. She should have cut him some slack but she let her emotions run away with her. She was still bitter. She was still angry that he would leave Daryl there to die but he had so much on his shoulders all the time. And he had come through for them over the winter. She owed him an apology.

Instead of leading him to her cell, she found herself taking the stairs up to Daryl's perch. She didn't want to make him sit where Lori had slept, where Lori's stuff was still scattered on the floor. There really wasn't a place to sit other than the pile of mattresses that Daryl had piled up in a corner to use as a makeshift bed. She sat down and patted the spot next to her. "You ain't gonna hit me again, are you?" He asked. The ghost of a smile played at the corners of his lips. Taylor shook her head and let out a weary sigh. He sat down beside her and hung his head low as he stared down at his boots. "Rick, look. I'm really sorry for the stuff I said earlier and I'm even more sorry for hitting you like that. I had no right to act that way. I know you well enough to know that leaving like that was a hard decision." She heard him chuckle and turned her head sharply to look at him. "That ain't nothin compared to what I'll catch from Daryl after he finds out I sent you into the lion's den alone to get him out." She laughed. It felt good to laugh after the day she had had. "He'll just be pissed because a girl saved his ass. Don't take it personal. Besides, this is what he was getting me ready for. All the fighting and the training. It was so I could be useful if one of us ever found ourselves in trouble." "Yeah, you're right." He shook his head and looked at her like she was stupid. "It couldn't have had anything to do with all the time he got to spend with you all hot and sweaty rollin' around in the dirt." He tried unsuccessfully to dodge her hand as she smacked him in the back of the head. "What the hell has gotten into everybody around here! You know it wasn't like that! You all know it! All y'all done went pervert on me now that the world's gone to hell." She shook her head but she was grateful that the tension between them had broken, even if it was at her expense. "If it was like that then he wouldn't have had me runnin' laps around a prison yard like a common criminal."

"Taylor, did it ever think that maybe he wanted you to learn all that because he wanted you to be able to protect yourself, and not everybody else? Maybe because he couldn't handle the thought of something happenin to you? Because he cares about you?" His voice was serious now.

Taylor shook her head and looked away. "We all care about each other, Rick. That's what makes us all family. Right?"

She felt him get up and listened to his heavy footfalls as he walked towards the stairs. "That's right. But I also think that all that runnin' he made you do was for his benefit too." His voice was louder than it needed to be.

She looked at him then. "What?"

He gave her another smile and turned to leave. "Never mind." She heard the humor in his voice.

She had no idea what he was talking about but a few seconds later she heard Maggie and Hershel start laughing, followed by everyone else in the cell block. With a smirk, she shook her head, taking the map Michonne had drawn her and going back to studying it. It had been a rough few days. She rolled over onto her side and took a deep breath. She was only going to lay there for a minute and secretly enjoy his scent that was all over the pillow under her face but she quickly drifted off to sleep.

A little while later, Rick made his way back to where she was sleeping, noting that Taylor looked peaceful asleep, much more so than when she was awake and threatening people with her endless supply of weapons. He knew she was anxious about what she was about to do, even if her face didn't show it. He also knew how she felt about Daryl, whether she cared to admit it or not. The two of them loved each other, and while they might be too stubborn to admit it to anyone or even to themselves, Rick could tell and so could everyone else. That was why she was laying here right now, knives taped to her legs and her hair eleven inches shorter. There was nothing she wouldn't do in the fight to save Daryl. She'd probably sacrifice herself before she let anything happen to him. He had to admire her bravery, her willingness to possibly be killed by walkers, crazed citizens, or even the Governer himself, all in the name of saving Daryl Dixon.

She really loved that man.

Watching him walk away made her feel like someone had punched her in the stomach. He had just walked off, not even giving her a second look. "What about me, Daryl?" Hearing her voice, he stopped, turning back to her. "You're a grown woman. If you wanna come, you will. Your choice." He stood there looking at her, Rick looking at the brunette as well. "Taylor, your family is back at the prison, as well as the rest of us here. Don't do this." The girl looked at Rick as he tried to reason with her. Her eyes were blank as she stared at him, the cut over her eye and the blood dried on her face almost making her look like a walker. Then her expression switched to one of irritation and anger. "Ya ain't ever gonna understand, Rick. I fought a crowd of people and a herd of walkers for that man in Woodbury. I nearly got my own damn self killed on the way to Woodbury to save him when the rest of y'all chose to stay behind. Then you show up with Maggie and try to act like the heroes and I'm still there trying to save my best friend. It's been me and him from the beginning, and I ain't about to start leavin' him now." Rick grabbed her wrist in an effort to convince her to stay. "Taylor, if it comes down to it, if there had to be a decision made about who got to live, who do you think Daryl would choose? You, some girl he's been with for a year and been friends with, as you like to put it, or his brother, someone who's his own flesh and blood and who's been there his whole life. Who would he pick, Taylor?" The brunette snatched her arm from his grasp. "I don't care who he'd pick, Rick. At least he wouldn't have to worry about me sleeping with his brother like you had to worry about Lori sleeping with Shane. Fuck you." Retrieving her backpack from the back of the car, she threw it over her shoulder, then got her crossbow. Looking over at Maggie, she nodded. "Thanks for throwing my bow in with the stuff you brought." Maggie stepped forward, pulling Taylor to the side, Taylor dropping her bow on the ground as she was snatched over. "Taylor, you don't have to do this. You can just let him go." Taylor shook her head, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"I can't just let him go, Maggie. I've already lost my mother, my brother, and my sister in this hellhole world. I can't lose Daryl too. I love him."

Maggie let go of Taylor, her eyes widening as Taylor admitted she loved Daryl for the first time. "Well, I guess you already made your choice." With a simple nod, Taylor turned on her heel, picked her crossbow up again, adjusted her backpack, and followed Daryl into the woods. Rick moved to go after her, but Maggie grabbed his arm. "Don't. There's nothing you can say to Taylor to make her come back without Daryl. Rick, she told me she loved him. That's the first time she's ever said that. And you have to admit, she's not afraid to go against authority. She's going to go with him, no matter what consequences she could face. If that was Glenn, I'd be going too." They watched her sling her crossbow over her back, grab her backpack, and follow Daryl into the woods, never once turning back to look at them.

She had made her choice.


End file.
